Letters: What white parents tell their children about police

Congressman Jim Clyburn’s suggestion that there’s something racial about the fact that he has to tell his grandson “You’ve got to deny your manhood if you want to ensure that you come home alive” if stopped by the police is hogwash. I cannot fathom why people believe that being respectful around police only applies to people of color.

My father told me to do as directed by police officers if I was ever stopped. This is the same advice I gave to my son and will pass on to my grandsons when they begin driving. To think this somehow negates one’s manhood reflects this victimized thought process so many possess.

The advice has little to do with a person’s color or manhood and everything to do with recognizing a situation that is filled with tension that can go wrong for all involved if one does not comply. As a 70-year-old white man with a Vietnam veteran license plate, I would comply simply because it is the smart thing to do. It is certainly not a threat to who I am.

If the congressman really has concern for his grandson’s well-being, and I believe he does, he needs to encourage him to choose carefully the young African-American men he spends time with, since we all know they represent the greatest threat in America to his safety.